Sampling

Sampling Procedure

The principal objective of the sample design was to provide current and reliable estimates on a set of indicators covering the four major areas of the World Fit for Children declaration, including promoting healthy lives; providing quality education; protecting against abuse, exploitation and violence; and combating HIV/AIDS. The population covered by the 2006 MICS is defined as the universe of all women aged 15-49 and all children aged under 5. A sample of households was selected and all women aged 15-49 identified as usual residents of these households were interviewed. In addition, the mother or the caretaker of all children aged under 5 who were usual residents of the household were also interviewed about the child.
The sample for the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey of the Syrian Arab Republic was designed to estimate a number of indicators on the situation of women and children at the national, and governorate levels, for urban and rural areas. The framework of the 2004 Overall Census of Inhabitants and Dwellings was used as the sampling frame. The sample was selected in two stages in each area. In the first stage, the clusters were drawn as census areas in proportion to size with a total of (1000) clusters. In the second stage, the counting units were drawn (households) in a regular arbitrary manner. The sample is not selfweighting. For reporting national level results, sample weights are used.
Following standard MICS data collection rules, if a household was actually more than one household when visited, then a) if the selected household contained two households, both were interviewed, or b) if the selected household contained 3 or more households, then only the household of the person named as the head was interviewd.
No replacement of households was permitted in case of non-response or non-contactable households. Adjustments were made to the sampling weights to correct for non-response, according to MICS standard procedures.
The sampling procedures are more fully described in the sampling appendix of the final report and can also be found in the list of technical documents within this archive.

Deviation from Sample Design

No major deviations from the original sample design were made. All sample enumeration areas were accessed and successfully interviewed with good response rates.

Response Rates

Out of (20022) households selected for sampling, (19870) were actually found, while the dwellings of the remaining households were either not occupied, or else the households themselves were out. (19019) households were successfully interviewed yielding a household response rate of (95.7) percent. In the interviewed households (25563) women aged 15-49 were identified. Out of these (25026) women were interviewed, yielding a response rate of (97.9) percent. The number
of children under five listed in the household questionnaire totaled (11104). Out of these, (11017) children were interviewed, which corresponds to a response rate of 99.2%. The overall response rate for the women’s questionnaires was (93.7) percent, while the one for the children under five was (95) percent. The response rate was similar in urban and rural areas, as Table (HH1) shows.

Weighting

Sample weights were calculated for each of the datafiles.
Sample weights for the household data were computed as the inverse of the probability of selection of the household, computed at the sampling domain level (urban/rural within each region). The household weights were adjusted for non-response at the domain level, and were then normalized by a constant factor so that the total weighted number of households equals the total unweighted number of households. The household weight variable is called HHWEIGHT and is used with the HH data and the HL data.
Sample weights for the women's data used the un-normalized household weights, adjusted for non-response for the women's questionnaire, and were then normalized by a constant factor so that the total weighted number of women's cases equals the total unweighted number of women's cases.
Sample weights for the children's data followed the same approach as the women's and used the un-normalized household weights, adjusted for non-response for the children's questionnaire, and were then normalized by a constant factor so that the total weighted number of children's cases equals the total unweighted number of children's cases.